The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-12-16
A DISASTROUS FLOOD.
A Province of China Com
pletely Inundated.
AN ENORMOUS LOSS OF LIFE.
Millions Rendere Homeless and En-
tirely Derived Of Earning
Their Livelihood.
AN ENORMOUS LOSS OF LIFE
A chinese Flood.

A Chinese Flood.
SAN FRAEcIsCo. December 15-The
steamship City Of Sidney arrived this
afternoon from Hong Kong and Yoka
hama.
Chinese papers give the details of q
disaster occasioned by the Yellow river
OVERLOOKING its bank il the province OF
Honau, ana describe it as one of the
most appalling occurrences, i'll the loss
| of life and property, recorded III recent
| times. The river broke It's banks on the
evening OF September 28th, south west
of the city of Ching Chow, ana not only
inundated that city, but also zen other
populous cities. The whole area is now
raging sea, ten to thirty feet deep.
where it was densely populated ard
rich plain. The former bed OF the Yell
low river is now dry, and the present
lake ws* the bed of the river centuries
ago. The loss of life is incaICulabl
and the statement is made by mission
aries that millions of Chinese are home
less and starving.
Thomas Patton. one of the Ameri-
can missionaries, writing from HOnau
province, under date of October 28ih
says: The Dewly-gathered crops and
trees are swept away, involving fear
full loss Of life. The country was Gov
cred with fine winter grain, which is
gone, and implies the complete destrnc-
ton OF next years crop. Bread, bread,
is the cry of thousands. who are on the
river banks. Benevolent people go in
boats and throw bread among the
masses here BDd there, but it is nothing
compared with the requirements. The
mass of people is still being increased
by continual arrivals:of eVenlmOre hun
cry ones than the last. There they sit
stunned, hungry and detected, without
a rag to wear or q morsel Of food. Mat
huts are being erected for them to the
west of this, but what 1t will be in two
months ! cannot conceive. The misery
is increased owing to the bitter cold
weather."
Yellow river has long been known az
"ChiH as Sorrow" and the presen. dis
aster hes proved to reassert ITS right TO
the terrible title. AS yet, the de ais OF
the disaster are meager, for it has oc-
CURED where but few foreigners are,
and the reports furnished bv officials
and published in the Gazette convey
q very inadequate idea OF the extent of
the loss of lie and property, or the
sufferings OF the survivors. The Gov
ernoT in Hanen reports to the throne
that nearly all the people have been
drowned in the district reached by
water, survivors being those who oC-
cnpied too high ground, or took
refuge in trees, where they remained
I'LL they were rescued. This gives but
little impression as to what the extent
of the disaster really IS.
The Chinese Times states that IN the
province of Chill, where disastrous
have also occurred, there
are 900 people homeless represent
ing those whose lives were destroyed.
and adds tina the misery in that
province is tTifiing compared with that
caused by the Hoang Ho. or Yellow
river. kThe extent Of the ground swept
over by the overwhelming flood,
given in English figures, is over 1000
square miles, and the land thus sub
merged formed art of one OF the rich
est and most densely populated plains
of northern China. The necessity for
liberal aid may therefore be imagined.
Already considerable sums have been ;
towards the reliet of the
sufferers. The emperor of China has
given 1900 900 taels, and the Chinese
have started subscription in Shanghai,
to which foreigners have contributed
literally. Millions have been rendered
homeless and entirely deprived of
all chances of earning their
livelihood. for their fields will
either become permanent lake
or an uninhabitable swamp. 1t is feared
that the distress which will be felt dur
ing the coming wiuter. will equal in in
tensity the famine OF ten years ago,
when the charitable donations contIi-
buted from sill parts of the world were
utterl9 insdequAte. IL Is stated that
the Yellow liz nger flows toward the
sea, but seems content in converting
eastern Hanan and northern Nagan-
whui into lake. IG may ultimately
flow into The sea Though Kiangon, or
it may even possibly Join the Yangtise.